Laddering: how to fix it

If you have ever worked a piece in round, you may be familiar with laddering. It happens to many knitters, especially when working on a small piece, both on double pointed needles and circular needles (using the magic loop technique). The problem is caused by the changes in tension, which happens at the same column every round.

I usually don't get too much laddering on my project. I think my tension is pretty constant now and it helps a lot for that. The occasional ladder I get is often subtle enough that it doesn't bother me. And if I'm using wool yarn, I don't mind it too much, because washing and blocking the piece will most likely get rid of it. Cotton yarn on the other hand is a tricky one...

 Nearly two years ago, I started this cardigan. I don't know why, but they don't sell the pattern anymore. Anyway, I like the look, and the sizing seems good so far. Actually, it's nearly finished, I only need to knit the collar part. But, you've guess it, it has a MAJOR laddering problem. I've never experienced this much laddering on a project. I think it's due to a combinations of factors.

First, the yarn. It's knitted it in comfy yarn which is 100% cotton. Don't get me wrong, I love this yarn. It super soft and is really nice to work with. I chose cotton because it's the perfect fiber for a light summer garment, which my wardrobe lacks. But cotton is known to be less resilient than wool.

Second, my technique. As I said, I've never had such a big laddering problem. At the time, my first instinct was to pull tighter on the yarn to make the bridge between these stitches shorter. It just seems intuitive, but it's NOT the way to go. By pulling the yarn, I worsened the difference in tension and likely made the problem more apparent.

Third, my laziness. If I had taken a couple of minutes to make some research, I would have find many videos showing me how to avoid that severe laddering. There are many ways you can improve your technique that will prevent this (using five double pointed needles instead of four, practicing to improve tension, moving stitches around so the first and last stitch of a needle aren't always the same etc).

Now that I know more about laddering, I won't make the same mistakes again. But what I need now is a way of fixing these ugly ladders, other than unraveling and starting over! I've looked around and haven't find much on the subject. Many mention washing and blocking as a way of diminishing the appearance of ladders, but I knew my cardigan needed more than that.

After a bit of trial and error, I have found a way to work the excess yarn back into the surrounding stitches.  I will show you how I do it, in hopes it can be useful to some of you out there!

The only things you need for this technique are: a lot of patience and a tool of your choice (small crochet hook, small knitting needle or darning needles are all good options). All you need to do really, is to pull the yarn slowly away from the ladder to spread the excess material.

Using a pointy tool, pick up the "bridge" of yarn between the first and second stitches next to the ladder. If you were to look at the wrong side of the garment, you would see that this little bit of yarn is actually the bumpy part of a purl stitch.

Pull gently towards you and away from the ladder. You won't get rid of the laddering right away so don't worry about the look right now, and don't pull too tight at first. 

See how it doesn't seem to fix anything? But don't worry, you just have to keep at it!

Once you've pull some yarn out between the first and second stitch, you have to spread it between the stitches to its right (or left if you are working on the other side of the ladder).

Repeat the same process of pulling the little bit of yarn between the stitches. The more you move away from the ladder, the less you should pull the yarn. This way, you leave a little extra yarn in each stitch. Three or four stitches (less if you started with a more subtle ladder) should be enough to spread the excess material you pull from the first "bridge".  Once you are done on a side of the ladder, repeat the exercise on the other side.

That's what I got after my first "pass". Still a big ladder, but a bit better than what I started with.

This is after second complete cycle of spreading the excess yarn. It looks kind of worst at this point, don't you think?

Third pass completed, you can really see the improvement now. After that, I keep doing it a bit more, but washing and blocking at this point would probably fix the rest.

This is another part I did. You can compare with the upper part that is not fixed. It's still a bit noticeable, but as I said, washing and blocking will also help.

Have you experience such laddering in the past? I sure hope this tip was useful to you!

Binic

It's back to school season! Yaaa! I just got back to work after the summer vacations and I'm already feeling the urge to knit more. Fall is always my most productive season. Cleaning up the garden will be on the priority list pretty soon, and by then I'm surely gonna be thinking about Halloween and Christmas! I can't wait for the cooler days to come. Knitting, wrapped in a blanket, with a nice cup of english breakfast is such a joy to me.

We have had really warm weather in the past month, but it didn't stop my needles. I had told my cousin I would knit something for her little boy (now 18 months old) and so I did. I decided on the Binic Pattern by Solenn Couix-Loarer. It was a quick knit, most of the pattern being worked in round with only knitted stitches. My cousin chose the yarn, Stroll tonal in Pacific. It's such a pleasure working with this yarn. Warm, easy care, springy and so soft! I wish you could touch it through the picture. I'm really eager to see the little guy wear it!

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/sweetteasoftskein/binic

Teeny tiny thimble purse

I hate standard thimbles. There, I said it. I hate them so much, I used to tape my fingers with masking tape instead of using them. They never seem to fit properly my fingers. They fall off or at least are really unstable.

A couple of months ago, something awesome happened. I discovered open thimbles. They work just like regular thimble. You simply wear them on the tip of the finger you use to push the needle. But what's wonderful about them is, they are adjustable! The front side is a full metal plate with texture to help you push the needle but the back! The back is made of metal bands, that you can squeeze to adjust to the exact size of you finger! I'm done with jiggling thimbles. I've also read that some people like them because they allow you to keep long nails.

The thing is, a thimble is a really small object and as I love mine, I'm afraid to get it lost. It's not worth a lot of money, but I would be disappointed if I had to replace it.
So to protect it, and help me always know where it is, I knitted a tiny bag to tuck it into. It's actually a design from Tiny Owl Knits, with some modifications. Instead of Aran yarn, I used fingering yarn on 2.25mm needles and cut in half all the stitches and row counts. After felting, the tiny purse is only two inches tall (this is without the tassel, that is added later). Finally, I added a drawstring and a glass bead to close it safely.

Teeny tiny purse

Really, this project is a cute and quick knit. I'm happy with the result and even a bit tempted to make the purse in it's original size.

Purple Stripes Gone Crazy

Hello little blog of mine. I've been away for a while, getting ready for Christmas and then been caught up in many projects. You know how it goes, crafters gonna craft!

Nonetheless, I want to show you my latest knitted piece of clothing I finished in November. I might have mentioned it before, I was trying my hand for the first time at a garment for me. I did knit some baby clothes in the past, but never a real garment for an adult.

The Stripes Gone Crazy pattern was in my favorites on Ravelry for quite some time and I really liked the design. So, I purchased some purple Comfy fingering and grabbed my needles! It knitted up more quickly than I thought and even tough the design is a bit complex, it wasn't that difficult. The shoulders, which is the first part that you knit, is the most complicated I would say. But if you take your time, and make sure you follow the instructions everything comes together smoothly.

My Stripes Gone Crazy Cardigan

I really like the final result. The use of the stripes is really clever and uncommon. I also love the Comfy yarn. The colors are bright but not to vibrant and it is so so soft, just as the name suggests. Plus the easy care of cotton is a relief to me.

I'm eager to make another cardigan or maybe a sweater but I'm working on a secret project right now! Hope I will be able to share it soon. Have a nice week end all!

Fall bounty

Where have I been, you might be wondering. Well, the end of summer has been very busy. This year I was lucky enough to have a garden three times bigger than last year. Let me tell you, it was three times the work! Though a lot of veggies ended up as squirrel's snacks, I've picked a lot of onions, cabbages, cherry tomatoes, swiss chard and tones of fresh herbs, to my absolute delight. Now that it's getting frosty at night, everything has been picked and the lot is clean and empty. In the past weeks, I've canned produce both from the garden and the market. From classic dill pickles to simple diced tomatoes and even some new recipes like the green tomatoes and red peppers marinade. Most of the time, I make small batches of three to six jars, since there is only two of us. I really like to make and use these. Using fresh and local produce is important to me and makes me feel proud.

But, as you might guess, I haven't stop knitting! The Pink Lemonade Socks pattern had been on my list for a long time, and I finally made them! I used the same yarn I choose last spring for my Broderie Gloves, that is Knit Picks Stroll in Dandelion. I absolutely love this yarn, soft to the touch, with a very springy texture. Plus it's superwash! As for the pattern, I only have good things to say. Easy to follow, simple mock cable instructions. It's a toe-up pattern, but if you haven't tried it yet, I think it could be a good first toe-up socks project.

 

(Ravelry projet page: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/sweetteasoftskein/pink-lemonade-socks)

Hope you all have a nice week-end, full of hot teas and cozy knitting!

An old clock's cozy time

  Today I want to share with you my most recent decor project. It's something I wanted to do for at least a year and never really put my needles to it. For a couple of years, we had a basic Ikea clock on our kitchen wall. I say basic because it was really plain looking, white background, blue plastic frame... but it was functional so I kept it where it was. With time, the plastic-paperish white background started to fall apart. I guess it was the result of long term sun exposure... Anyway, I took it down, thinking I would do a little makeover sometime.

More than a year later, I stumble across this pattern for a Clockwork Cozy on Ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/colorful-clockwork-cozy   A really simple yet colorful and funny pattern, perfect for my old clock.


My clock wasn't in good shape and needed a bit of preparation before receiving it's cozy. I started by peeling off the remaining pieces of background. I painted the frame white so it wouldn't show to much through the knitted fabric. I printed a damask pattern on a thick white paper and cut it to fit perfectly in the clock (usually you can easily take out the hands by pulling). I drew numbers on the circle and filled them using a black marker. Then, I simply inserted the disk in the clock and put back the hands. The paper disk fitted so perfectly that it didn't need any glue.

As for the knitted part, I used some Palette fingering yarn that I already had on hand (Clarity, Sky, Clover, Green Tea Heather, Sweet Potato and semolina). The pattern called for worsted weight yarn but I wanted a different look, a little less texture. I cast on 20 stitches on 2,75 mm needles and it was large enough to cover the frame. I knitted in garter stitch, changing colors irregularly until it was long enough to cover the whole thing. If you want to make one yourself,  you can find details on how to finish it and different examples of finished projects on the pattern page. It really is a nice way to give a second life to an old clock.

Broderie gloves pattern

 I've finally published my new pattern on Ravelry! It's available for free for a limited time so you can download it and give it a try! You can even download it now and keep it for later ;)  If you do try it out, please let me know if you find anything missing or unclear. I've had a lot of fun making these and I hope some of you will like them as much as I do. I've knitted them in wool, but if you are lucky and live in a warmer place (we are still freezing this march!!) I think they would be really soft and comfy in a pastel cotton yarn.

A close-up of the "broderie" pattern.

Here is the pattern : http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/broderie-gloves

  Have a nice week my friends!

Upcoming new pattern: Broderie gloves

Broderie is the french word for embroidery. I find it well fitted for the stitch pattern you find on the back of these little gloves. I've been working on that project since early January and I'm thrilled to say that I hope to publish the pattern on Ravelry by the end of this week. I had to do a couple of retakes on the first glove before everything was to my liking but it really paid off on the long run. I'm fairly satisfied with their fit and look. Light, because of the little holes in the pattern and joyful with their dotted wrist edge, they are perfect for springtime. They're knitted in a superwash fingering wool yarn and have a long wrist so they can still keep you warm on chilly spring days. I bet they would make a classy accessory for tea time, knitted in cream or in a very light pink.

I will make a little post on my facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/sweetteasoftskeins ) as soon as I upload the pattern in my Ravelry shop.